Location

Known For

The lowdown

The owners of the original Sullivan Street Bakery split when Jim Lahey left with rights to the name, and Monica Von Thun Calderón kept the Soho space, renaming it after her grandmother, Daisy. Calderón has since added more locations, but the unique brand of square-cut thin-crust pizza remains — with simple toppings like a glaze of tomato paste, Gruyère with crumbled, caramelized cauliflower, or slivered, browned rosemary potatoes — and draws a takeout-lunch crowd from 11 a.m. on. (Cravings for the oil-crisped edges start early.) Slices also function as can’t-wait treats for those picking up giant loaves of bread like charred filone, with a thick tooth-loosening crust and dense crumb; olive boules; and man-size lengths of “pizza bianca,” a dimpled Roman flatbread patted down only with oil, salt, and sprigs of rosemary. Some of the city’s best sandwiches at other spots depend on slices of Grandaisy bread. So much bread may make you weep for want of a soup or salad, but the only greens in sight curl out from stellar, minimalist sandwiches. The rule of three works wonders in combos of beet, goat cheese, and arugula; dried beef, arugula, and Parmesan; and (in summer) wet mozzarella with sun-colored slabs of tomatoes and basil. Since you’re down a dough rabbit hole already, finish the job with a seasonal fruit tart or chocolate cookie sandwiching cream-cheese frosting; it’s how Oreos would taste if they were invented in Italy — or in Soho, come to think of it.